You're kidding, right? A new BMW makes the list of ugliest cars for 2005?

Let's count em down!

List courtesy of our friends at Cartalk.

10. BMW 5 Series
"With the granny glasses headlights and awkward body creases, it looks like a Pontiac on acid."

9. Chrysler 300
"Did Chrysler have the head of a cow in mind when designing this car?"

8. Dodge Magnum
"The Welsh Corgi of the car world — wishes to be a big dog, but too short to the ground."

7. Chevy Avalanche
"Adorned with more plastic than Anna Nicole Smith."

6. Subaru Baja
"Looks more at home in Prague."

5. Chrysler PT Cruiser
"So ugly, I get mad just looking at it."

4. Honda Element
"A rollover would improve its looks!"

3. Hummer H2
"The automotive equivalent of Aunt Bertha."

2. Toyota Scion xB

1. Pontiac Aztek

"Its appearance should serve as an innovative but effective first line of defense against car theft" while another wondered if, "the cleaning lady took the plans out of the trash as a joke — and nobody noticed."

"It looks like it went into the crusher before the showroom!"

"It looks the way Montezuma's revenge feel."

"Was Pontiac taken over by a high school shop class?"

Add your comments below...

fam1 - 4/28/2005 11:44:16 PM

+1 Boost

Out of all the bland crap out there, they call out the 300? Come on...and did someone just knock the design of the Audi TT? Hey, preferences are what they are, but in the last 10 or 15 years there have been few if any designs as progressive and generally well-liked as the TT.

elviososa - 4/29/2005 1:41:28 AM

+1 Boost

From the very beginning, I think 300C is ugly...I still think it is UGLY!!!! DAMN UGLY!!

dbrebel - 4/29/2005 4:50:43 AM

+1 Boost

Just goes to show you that while you can dress up a pig in an evening gown, at the end of the day, it's still a pig and it just looks all the more ridiculous because of the evening gown.

Just another eyesore in a long line of overwrought, groteseque and tasteless designs from Nissan/Infiniti. Of course, you'd never see such criticism in any of the "editorial" pieces on autospies, given their incessant and obnoxious Infiniti infomercials.

Steve - 4/29/2005 10:02:58 AM

+1 Boost

Some styles polarize the audience. The PT Cruiser is a prime example of his pretty even divide between "love it and "hate it". The Chrysler 300, though it may not tickle some fancies, is wildly successful in its "Gangster Car" visual cues.

I am surprised how the BMW 5 only got 10th place on the Ugly Scale. I went to design school. Even a first year student can rattle off the reasons why the 5 "doesn't work," purely from an academic design perspective. It definitely belongs ahead of the retro-inspired PT. Cartalk was being kind.

Steve - 4/29/2005 10:02:58 AM

+1 Boost

Anim8or - 4/29/2005 11:45:02 PM

+1 Boost

... About the 5 Series. It's been lambasted by critics in Europe for nearly 2 years already.

But I would have thought that the droopy-eyed 7 series would have scored as well. Perhaps they're looking at the toned-down 2006 7 Series instead. But hey, they still drive great, as long as you keep your eyes off the iDrive that is:)

I am a bit surprised about the 300 though. I know it has polarizing looks, but I think it stands out for the right reasons. With those short windows, it almost looks like a concept car. It has also rendered its American competition utterly outdated. The car has become a cultural icon in only a few months, much like the Audi TT did back in the 90's.

I think Chrysler is creating some fantastic designs that are taking the car industry by storm, with much of the credit rightfully going to design guru Freeman Thomas.

dbrebel - 4/30/2005 7:50:42 AM

+1 Boost

"*The 300C? Its not the greatest but bottom line: theyre selling because it just works. Great for shareholders to see. Regardless of what you think."

Let's see where the 300C is in 3 years or so. Does the design have legs? Or is it another car that has benefitted from media frenzy to become the car that some people "have to be seen in?"

Ask the Hummer dealers. Being that kind of vehicle is great while the honeymoon lasts, but it sucks when the people who jump on everything trendy move on to their next trend. Nothing is more passe than last year's "gotta have it" item.

The other thing is that such a polarizing design tends to exhaust the supply of people who like it within a couple of years, and then sales start to plummet. The Honda Element sold like hotcakes in its first couple of model years, but sales are now dropping fast... a common fate of such polarizing designs. The 300C seems like a prime candidate to suffer the same fate.

Anim8or - 4/30/2005 4:38:02 PM

+1 Boost

...Top 5's of my best and worst:

The Top 5 Most Beautiful Cars in the World:

5. Lamborghini Gallardo
4. Maserati Quattroporte
3. Audi A6
2. Aston Martin DB9
1. Bently Continetal GT

Top 5 Ugliest Cars in the World:

5. Subaru Baha
4. Infiniti QX56
3. BMW 5 Series
2. BMW 7 Series
1. Pontiac Aztek

There are so many more ugly cars (Several SUV's), and worse, mediocre cars (Buick, Mercury) that this list could go on forever!

Anim8or - 4/30/2005 5:45:56 PM

+1 Boost

... The A6 has already won several design awards.

This includes Europe's prestigous "The World's Most Beautiful Automobile 2004" award in the Large Sedan category.

Of course some people won't take to the radical new look. That's fine by me. Everyone has their personal tastes. But the simple fact is that the new A6 is already a huge design hit.

With all the acclaim the A6 has gotten, it should come as no surprise that the car made it into my top 5.

Matthew1 - 5/2/2005 12:27:20 AM

+1 Boost

Can't think of a good-looking French car?

Try a Renault Clio V6. Or a Citroen C4. Peugeot 307, 407... Renault Megane 225, Renault Laguna, Citroen C3, C2.....

They may not be sold in the US, but the French know how to build a good car. And Renault is the master at creating dynamically brilliant hot hatches, like the Renaultsport Clio 182, and Clio Williams.